Counting Down the Days

I am counting down the days to graduations... and not for the reasons you think.  I have 81 days until I receive my diploma.  It can't get here fast enough. 

(Just for fun, I'm throwing in a pic of my brother and I at a concert this weekend.  Bon Jovi ROCKS!)

I've spent the last several years studying government, policymakers, and, of course, politics.  One thing was particularly disturbing to me.  That my parents and grandparents are deciding my fate and I'm a passive participant.  (Disclaimer: I love my family, just using it as an illustration. I also vote).

When I realized how much the decisions in DC will disproportionately affect me, I became disheartened. I am a young professional, therefore, not only will have have to live with the consequences of these policies (good or bad) I will have to pay for them (so I better like what is being produced).  

This is the catalyst for my idea - The Contemporary Generation. In my vision, The Contemporary Generation is a group of people concerned about the future, not just the here and now.  Politicians live in 2 year cycles; their number one goal - reelection (who can blame them, after all, they need a job too. Have you seen the economy lately?)  The problem is, I don't live in 2 year cycles.  I plan on living for another 80 years (hopefully our health care can help me do this in a way that I can afford it... yet something else to discuss).

What to do about it (after I graduate, of course)...

I want to build an organization that advocates to prepare an environment for ANY person to have the OPPORTUNITY to succeed, while endorsing a REASONABLE social safety net.

• Education - preparing the next generation to compete.
• Health - we need sustainable, accessible, innovative health care options.
• Medicaid
• Medicare
• Economic Issues - building a solid foundation from which to prosper.
• Deficit Reduction
• Taxes
• Intellectual Property
• Trade
• Social Security - reforming a fair and equitable system
• Environment - focus on doing things the right way to preserve what we have.
• Energy
• Transportation

This cannot be accomplished in isolation.  Others, like myself, must been engaged. Above all else, we need to vote.  Without voting, the rest doesn’t matter because the agenda and the solutions will be dominated by those that do not have the same priorities.

My tirade for the day is over (I didn't sleep much last night).  The question remains... are you with me?